Fastening device



Feb. 6, 1951 L. a. COURTOT 2,540,656

INVENTOR.

, =1 LOUIS a. COURTOT.

ATTOR EYS -or separation of the parts.

Patented Feb. 6, 1951 FASTENING DEVICE Louis B. Courtot, Cleveland, Ohio, 'assignor to The Weatherhead Company, Cleveland, Ohio,

r a corporation of Ohio Application February 24, 1948, Serial No. 10,227

This invention relates to fastening devices and, 'more particularly; to'fastening devices for looking a rod or shaft to a cooperating member to prevent relative rotation between the parts. In the preferred embodiment, I mount a valve hanjdle on' a valve stem with my novel fastener.

It is an object of this invention to eliminate the milling of fiats on the shaft or valve handle usually employed for preventing relative rotation,'and to eliminate the necessity for threadiing the internal terminal portion of the valve stem, and to eliminate close tolerances required if press fits are. employed for the aforesaid purpose.

7 Briefly, these objects are accomplished by forming a bore in the handleor other part that joins with theshaft or, stem, which bore is larger than the diameter of the stem,--there being a novel fastening device having legs or fingers occupying theclearance space between the parts.

The legs or fingers of the fastening device cut grooves in the parts during assembly, to prevent relative rotation;-

Another object resides in facilitating removal Where packed valve stems are employed in valve assemblies, the packing must be slipped over the valve stem. In case fastening means are employed that have a rough .exterior'surface, suchas threads, it is usually necessary to turn down the terminal portion of the stem that is threaded so that the packing will not scrape on the threads as it is pressed over the valve stem proper, this being necessary because the packing usually is somewhat contracted about .the stem.' v

A further object resides in facilitating the .mounting of packing on the stem without requiring turning down the handle mounting portion thereof, and, ,at the same time, providing positivelocking to prevent relativerotation of the stem and handle.

The manner inwhich these and other objects are accomplished will appear in the following detailed description of a preferred embodiment of my invention. a

In the drawings:

Fig. l represe ts .ablankforthe-forming-of a fastening'device made-in accordance with the invention; 1

Fig. 2 showsan end view of the completed fastening device;

' Fig. 3 shows a side view thereof;

Fig. 4 fills the transverse section through the assembled valve stem and handle; and

Fig. 5 shows longitudinal; section through the assemblytakenon 55 in Fig.4.

1 Asseen in Fig. 1, the fastening device may be forming members I I connected by annulus means 6 Claims. (Cl. 287-53) 2 Ill. The finger blanks H are subsequently bent axially and then twisted about an axis-parallel to that of the cylinder in whichthe finger blanks lie to produce fingers iZa and 121) shown. in the remaining figures. 1

In the preferred form, alternate fingers are twisted oppositely to provide against relative rotation in both directions. With this construction the fingers have diagonally-opposed biting or cutting edges, fingers lZa having outer cutting edges M and inner cutting edges i504, and fingers l2b having outer cutting edges Mb and inner cutting edges I51).

Figs. 4 and 5 show an embodiment of the invention employed in connection with a valve stem and handle. Thestem Smaybe of uniform: cylindrical-section, and maybe provided with-packing P for sealing in the valvebodyinv the conventional manner. Ofcourse, a packing nut-N may also be provided as is well known in the art.

The valve handle H has a neck 28 formed with a bore 2| for reception of the valve stem as shown. The end of the shaft or stem maybe chainfered as at 3!! to facilitate assembly of the parts. In assembling the parts, the fastening device F is first sprung partially over the end of the stem S, this operation being facilitated-by chamfer 38. The handle His then slipped par;- tially over fastener F whereupon the parts are pressed together to the position shown in Figs. 4 and 5. During the pressing operation,-the fingers are gradually twisted in a direction opposite to the twist imparted to them during the forming of the fastener F. As this happens the cutting edges 14a and Mb cut into the wall of bore ,21 both radially and circumferentially. The same action occurs between the fingers 15a and H519 and the valve stem. This twisting action provides effective abutments for theside walls.- of the fingers which may have sheared-up -s-mall ridges along the stem that augment'theholding force. The flattening and twisting of the fin ers exerts circumferential pressure on the abutments so that a very tight and shake-proof joint is ob tained.

I prefer to dimension the parts sothat the .radial thickness of; thefingers tshown in -Fig fl force is transmitted to the handle immediately,

within the limits of the strength of the materials. In other words, no relative motion between-the handle and stem can occur without shearingone or both of those parts'and the turning torque cannot further twist the fingers and so perm it relative motion. Because of the opposite disposition of the fingers, relative to one another, the device will effectively lock the parts together without possibility of relative motion in response to torques in either direction. Also, there is relatively small crushing force on the fingers, rather, they are in substantially pure shear.

It will be understood that if it is desired to transmit torque in but one direction, the fingers need not be oppositel twisted, but, in so far as the transmission of said torque is concerned, the action will be of that herein described.

The fastening device F is preferably of harder material than either the shaft or the socket member, ordinary sprin steel that is hardened and tempered after forming being suitable in most instances. I may add a fastener or screw 22 to prevent axial withdrawal of the handle H in some cases, whereas in others the screw may be omitted. It can be seen that even as small abutments are sheared up by the fingers as they twist during assembly, these are longitudinal and so will not appreciably interfere with the slipping of packing material P over the stem S. Also. the handle H may be readily removed for chang ing the packing material or for any other reason. When the handle is reapplied after removal, since the fingers will have sprung inwardly when the handle is clear. new grooves will be cut in the stem which will cause a reaction against the formed, old grooves in the handle and produce a tight fit. Even if the handle is replaced so that the fingers slide into the old grooves, there will be no clearance between the fingers and the grooves and a tight joint will be produced as before. Of course, my fastening device ma be employed to join a stem or rod to a handle or plate with a through bore in cases where severe axial forces are not encountered.

Having described a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood that various modifications thereof may be made without departing from the mode of operation described, and, accordingly, I contemplate the appended claims and not the aforesaid embodiment be determinative of the scope of my invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A valve stem assembly comprising a cylindrical packing and handle engaging portion of uniform diameter and uninterrupted circumference, a valve handle having a bore a greater diameter than that of said stem portion, and a fastening member for connecting said stem portion and handle together, said fastening member comprising three or more connected axiallyextending fingers disposed in the clearance space between said stem and handle, said fingers having cutting edges disposed in shallow grooves in said stem and handle formed by axially pressing said stem, handle, and fastening member together, the radial thickness of said fingers beingsubstantially equal to the clearance space between said stem and handle, the circumferenpressing all said members together, the radial thickness of said fingers being substantially equal to the clearance space between said rod and second members, the circumferential extent of said fingers exceeding their radial extent.

3. In a rod joint, a rod member, a second member for connection to said rod member having a bore a greater diameter than that of said rod member, and a fastening member for connecting said rod and second member together, said fastening member comprising three or more axially-extending connected fingers generally rectangular in crosssection disposed in the clearance space between said members, said fingers being twisted slightly about their axes to form cutting edges, said cutting edges being disposed in shallow grooves in said members formed by axially pressing all said members together, the radial thickness of said finger being substantially equal to the clearance between said members, at least one of said fingers being twisted oppositely to another of said fingers, the circumferential extent of said fingers exceeding their radial extent.

4. In a rod joint, a rod member, a second memher for connection to said rod member having a. bore a greater diameter than that of said rod member, and a fastening member for connecting said rod and second member together, said fastening member comprisin a plurality of connected axially-extending fingers rectangular in cross-section disposed in the clearance space between said members, said fingers being twisted slightly about their axis to form cutting edges, said cutting edges being disposed in shallow grooves in said members formed by axially pressing all said members together, the radial thickness of said fingers being substantially equal to the clearance space between said rod and second members, the circumferential extent of said fingers exceeding their radial extent.

5. A fastening member for coupling a rod member to a member bored to receive said rod member comprising three or more generally-parallel, axially-extending connected fingers lying substantially in a cylinder, said fingers having a rectangular cross-section and being twisted slightly about an axis generally parallel to the cylinder axis to form diagonally-opposed cutting edges, the circumferential extent of said fingers exceeding their radial extent.

6. A fastening member for coupling a rod member to a member bored to receive said rod member comprising three or more generally-parallel, axially-extending fingers lying substantially in. a cylinder, said fingers having a. rectangular cross-section and bein twisted slightly about an axis generally parallel to the cylinder axis to form diagonally-opposed cutting edges, at least one of said fingers being twisted oppositely to another of said fingers, the circumferential extent of said fingers exceeding their radial extent.

LOUIS B. COURTOT.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,846,271 Olson Feb. 23, 1932 2,131,407 Murray Sept. 27, 1938 2,276,753 Tinnerman Mar. 17, 1942 2,301,169 Engstrom Nov. 3, 1942 

